Yemeni Al-Qaeda militants shout at the judge as he sentenced them to jail for plotting attacks in Yemen at the Sanaa court on April 23, 2013.

Yemen: Man Accused of Being Gay, Shot

By Michelle Garcia

Originally published on Advocate.com July 17 2013 12:30 PM ET

Two members of an Al-Qaeda linked group fatally shot a man in Yemen after accusing him of being gay.

Hashem al-Asmi, 20, was gunned down by members of Ansar al-Sharia, a group on the U.S. terror list, in the provincial capital of Huj. According to the Agence France-Presse, the alleged gunmen fled the scene shortly after the shooting.

Ansar al-Sharia is Yemen's local arm of Al-Qaeda, which has been gaining traction in the southern and eastern parts of the country.

Homosexuality is not considered to be legal in Yemen, and the punishment for same-sex relationships between men is death, according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association.